Since ARKit debuted within iOS 11 on September 19 last year, iPhone and iPad owners worldwide have downloaded and installed more than 13 million ARKit-only apps. The data comes from Sensor Tower, which broke down the most popular categories of augmented reality apps fueled by ARKit, the top 10 free and paid apps, highest grossing apps, and more.

ios 11 ARKit
Games remain the dominant category for ARKit-only apps -- or those apps built "expressly using" Apple's framework -- having grown from representing 35 percent of downloads one month after iOS 11's launch, to 47 percent today. The second place category, Utilities, decreased from 19 percent last October to 15 percent in March. Rounding out the top six were Entertainment, Lifestyle, Photo & Video, and Education.

arkit apps by category six months

Charts via Sensor Tower

Sensor Tower pointed out that for the games-specific charts, the top spots of all three sections (free, paid, grossing) were "still occupied by many of the same titles that found success several months ago," suggesting not much variation in ARKit-only gaming on the App Store. On the other hand, when the researchers looked at non-game apps they saw multiple newcomers rising on the charts, like LEGO AR Studio -- "a testament to the popularity of kid-focused AR content on the App Store thus far."

From what we’ve seen in our latest analysis, ARKit-only apps only continue to grow in terms of installs and the number of experiences available to users. This isn’t including the numerous ARKit-compatible apps that have added some degree of AR functionality in the past six months and have pushed the number of AR apps on the App Store well beyond 2,000 to date.

There’s clearly substantial room for growth in terms of user base and revenue, but also ambition when it comes to this burgeoning category, and the apps above have built a solid foundation for what’s to come, especially as the capabilities of ARKit evolve and expand with future versions of iOS.

Popular free game "AR Dragon" retained the top spot as the most-downloaded free ARKit-only app and game during the framework's first six months of availability. Other augmented reality apps that remain popular on the App Store include IKEA Place (#2 free apps), AR MeasureKit (#5 free apps/#5 top grossing), and CamToPlan Pro (#1 paid apps). For both paid and grossing categories, ARKit app downloads are leaning "predominantly" to the Utilities category.

top arkit apps six months
Apple CEO Tim Cook has described augmented reality as "profound" in the past, claiming that Apple is in a "unique position" to lead when it comes to the technology. He thinks that AR will become "as key as having a website" for brands, and sees ARKit as the start of something much bigger: "This is very much like in 2008 when we fired the gun in the App Store. That's what it feels like to me and I think it will just get bigger from here."

Top Rated Comments

Scottsoapbox Avatar
72 months ago
I'd love to see a metric of VR apps used more than 10 mins.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GrumpyMom Avatar
72 months ago
I liked my AR dragon on iOS but I find the AR Sticker characters that come baked into the camera software of my Pixel 2 to be more entertaining and work a bit better since they are integrated as part of the camera app. It’s fun to include them in pictures and videos. The sticker characters also display an “awareness”, at least a simulated one, of their environment and each other. They do interact as you add each one in. The fact that some of them are familiar Star Wars figures adds an element of fun. It’s fun to see BB-8 rolling around the house.

It would be fun to see Apple get something like that. I know this all seems very niche and gimmicky to many people but for those of us who have tried it, it can add a new dimension of fun to the smartphone experience.

Right now some Android flagship phones are also designed to work in VR headsets. That’s one thing iPhones aren’t designed to do and additional functionality in the VR space might be welcome among some of us. However, again, we are a very niche group. VR using smartphones still makes too many people sick, unfortunately.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17 and iPhones Feature

iOS 17: 10 New Features That Just Launched

Sunday September 17, 2023 12:35 pm PDT by
In June, Apple announced iOS 17 with a wide range of new features and changes for the iPhone. Following over three months of beta testing, the free software update will be released this Monday, September 18 for the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have recapped 10 key features coming to the iPhone with iOS 17, with additional features coming later this year. The update should be released to...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

iPhone 15 Models Feature New Setting to Strictly Prevent Charging Beyond 80%

Tuesday September 19, 2023 2:04 pm PDT by
All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today. The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 17 With StandBy, Live Voicemail, Improved Autocorrect, FaceTime Video Messages and Tons More

Monday September 18, 2023 10:05 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the latest operating system updates that are designed for the iPhone and iPad. As with all of Apple's software updates, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 are available for free. iOS 17 is compatible with the iPhone XR/iPhone XS and later, while iPadOS 17 runs on the iPad mini 5 and later, the iPad 6 and later, iPad Air 3 and later, the second-generation 12.9-inch...
flighty standby

Best Apps With New iOS 17 and watchOS 10 Features

Monday September 18, 2023 3:02 pm PDT by
With the release of a new operating system, there are multiple features and design elements for developers to adopt. Now that iOS 17 is out, many major apps are getting interesting updates today, which we've rounded up below. watchOS 10 also has a new design language, so there are a range of Apple Watch updates to check out too. Flighty (Free, Premium Subscription) Popular flight tracking...